This is my take on savory oatmeal. It’s cozy and nourishing and full of toasty and umami flavors– without being too heavy. It’s also a nice not sweet breakfast option that isn’t avocado toast.
Some life updates:
Mica has to have eye surgery and we’re trying to to think of ways to spoil her post-op. It will probably look something like this.
I’ve been on a banana baked goods kick lately. First these muffins and now these ”blondies”.
I’ve also really been leaning into the local winter produce (see here, here, and here).
Hope you all are keeping warm! xo
*Instead of arugula, try pea shoots or other microgreens. Steamed broccoli is also delicious here, and I bet spinach would be tasty, too.
1/2 cup rolled oats, GF if needed
2 tsp miso
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Couple handfuls of arugula (or other veg; see note)
Garnishes: thinly sliced scallion, toasted sesame seeds, drizzle of toasted sesame oil, tamari
Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add oats, reduce heat, and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Remove from heat and let stand for a couple of minutes.
Stir in miso, red pepper flakes, and arugula, and let stand a couple of minutes more.
Transfer to a bowl and top with desired garnishes.
Maybe it’s the pretty colors, or perhaps just its reliable presence at the farmer’s market, but I am consistently drawn to swiss chard. I love its texture and depth of flavor, and the way it always feels a little more unexpected than, say, spinach or kale. (Of course take a quick scroll through my recipe index and you can see very clearly that I have major love for those two as well.) Here I’ve combined chard with spaghetti and golden pan-fried tempeh to make a dish that’s earthy, garlicky, and straight up delicious. Just thinking about it makes me hungry.
12-oz spaghetti, capellini, or pasta of choice
1 8-oz package of tempeh, cut into bite-size pieces
¼ tsp garlic powder
olive oil
red pepper flakes
sea salt and black pepper
3 to 5 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch of swiss chard, ends trimmed, stalks and leaves chopped separately
½ vegetable broth (I’ve been using the organic vegetable Better Than Bouillon), divided
First, steam your tempeh. Place tempeh in a bowl with about an inch of water, cover, and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Alternatively, place in a saucepan and cover with water. Cook over high heat until boiling, then cover with lid, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Drizzle some olive oil in a large skillet and heat over medium. When hot, add tempeh and season with garlic powder, salt, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Use a wooden spoon to mix and break up the pieces of tempeh. You’re going for crumbly here. Then let cook, without touching for about 3 minutes, til it starts to get golden. Warning: you may want to use a splatter guard here (or a lid tilted on its side). Stir/turn pieces over, and cook for another 3 minutes or so. Remove tempeh from skillet and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. If it finishes before everything else is ready, toss the drained pasta with a bit of olive oil to keep from sticking.
Drizzle some more olive oil into the skillet and add garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low for about 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Stir in chopped chard stems and ½ cup of vegetable broth. Cover, turn up head to medium-high, and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the chard leaves and remaining ½ cup vegetable broth and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through.
Add the pasta to the chard mixture, sprinkle on the tempeh, drizzle with a little more olive oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and mix everything together. Serve.
I wrote the first version of this post several months ago, when it was still cold and gray, when practically every non-citrus fruit I had was stashed deep in the freezer. My bananas, however, sat cheekily on the countertop, getting spottier and spottier by the second. Enter this delicious shake, which makes the best of frozen strawberries and sweet, ripe, perhaps a-little-too-soft bananas. Of course since I shot this strawberry season has come and (mostly) gone, and so I tried this recipe with fresh strawberries and frozen bananas. It totally works– but I think I prefer the first version just a tad more. And since my strawberries are back in the freezer again, that’s the one I’ll be making and the one I recommend. It’s simple yet substantial, with peanut butter and jelly vibes that will have you craving it on the regular.
¾ cup unsweetened vanilla plant-based milk
¼ cup salted peanut butter
¾ cup frozen strawberries
2 ripe bananas
Very optional: bit of sweetener, to taste (not necessary if fruit is very ripe)
Combine everything in a blender and process until smooth, stopping to scrape sides as necessary. Enjoy.
I’ve been wanting to post this recipe for quite some time now. Yet even after I finally (finally!) buckled down and took photos, edited them and even uploaded them onto WordPress, I still didn’t post. I felt the pressure to write something eloquent– after all my last post was half a year ago! The fact of the matter is that working a full-time job (and riding two very popular trains to and from there every day) leaves little room for much else. On weeknights I carve out my time to hang out with Phil, make dinner, maybe watch Colbert’s monologue to help us swallow the latest news, prep for the next day. On the weekends we sleep and play catch-up. Can you relate?
Still, eating well (though not necessarily perfectly) is something I prioritize. I’m not really a meal planner, but I’ve been trying to do more “veg prepping”— washing and cutting my market haul– on Sundays. Then during the week all I have to do is cook my already prepped vegetables and toss them with whatever else I feel like making. This pasta dish is one of those throw together dinners that has become a staple in our home. I like to joke that it combines my Eastern European Jewish roots with my Italian sensibilities, simultaneously familiar and satisfying. I’m not sure when I started adding sunflower seeds, but they go beautifully with tender braised cabbage, providing a protein boost and salty crunch.
12 oz pasta, preferably farfalle/bowties
1 medium head of cabbage, trimmed and cored, chopped thin then chopped again so pieces aren’t too big
5-6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
olive oil
pinch of red pepper flakes
sea salt and black pepper, to taste
¼ cup roasted, salted sunflower seed kernels
Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions.
Drizzle a bit of oil in a large skillet and cook the garlic and red pepper flakes on medium low for about 3 minutes, watching closely and stirring as needed.
Add the cabbage and a couple splashes of water and turn up the heat to medium high. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring every now and then, until tender and browned in places. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine the (cooked and drained) pasta with the cabbage and, if desired, drizzle with a little more olive oil. Sprinkle the sunflower seeds on top and serve.
Happy August and hi from Queens! We’ve been here in our new apartment for about two and a half months now. It’s been fun decorating a new space and exploring a new neighborhood, and we love our new second floor sunset views. Being in a well kept building with a nice landlady is pretty sweet, too. And yes, we still have a few boxes scattered about and most of our art isn’t hung up and our windows are still draped with tablecloths instead of proper shades; it’s taken us some time to recover from the exhaustion and trauma of moving and fully settle in. Still, sure enough, our home is coming together. This week we finally bought paint (Benjamin Moore Pure White, a pretty pale gray) (because I am not a cream person) (at all) and last night we finally picked up our ladder from the old place. I’d like to get as much done as possible before I go back to work at the end of the month. Nevertheless, if there’s anything I’ve learned from both Apartment Therapy and by living in my last apartment, it’s that it’s okay to not do everything at once. That holding out for things I truly love can be a good thing.
In the meantime it’s the peak of summer which means that this girl is stuffing her face with allll the fruits and vegetables from the farmers market. Especially peaches. Maybe it’s because last year we had a peach shortage, but this year’s bounty tastes particularly delicious. Here I’ve combined them with dandelion greens, garlic scapes, sorghum, pecans, and balsamic vinegar to make a sweet and savory, fruity grain salad. It’s the kind of dish that would mix beautifully with a larger, barbecue style spread, yet is hearty enough on its own to enjoy as a light dinner.
*After you wash the dandelion greens, don’t dry– the moisture will help cook them.
*To toast the pecans, heat in a pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes, watching closely and stirring frequently.
*Because this recipe calls for fresh peaches, for most aesthetically pleasing results I recommend eating this dish right away.
*If you can’t find garlic scapes, feel free to use 1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or sliced, instead. The cloves will cook more quickly than the scapes, so take care not to burn. I think a a bit of red onion would also be good.
¾ cup sorghum, rinsed
2¾ cups water or vegetable stock (I used water + ½ bouillon cube)
olive oil
5-7 garlic scapes, ends trimmed, chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 bunch of dandelion greens, ends trimmed, chopped
1 tsp balsamic vinegar, divided, plus more for serving
¼ tsp agave
1-2 peaches, sliced
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
sea salt and black pepper
Place sorghum, water/stock, and a drop of olive oil in a saucepan and cook over high heat until boiling. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for about 50-60 minutes or until tender but still a little chewy. Drain and let cool.
Meanwhile, drizzle some olive oil into a large pan and cook garlic scapes and red pepper flakes over medium low heat for about 4-5 minutes, stirring now and then, until fragrant and a bit golden. I highly recommend using a splatter guard here, especially if cooking in cast iron. A lid, propped open a bit so steam can escape, will also work.
Add the dandelion greens and a couple splashes of water to the pan. Cover, turn the heat up to medium, and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring and adding more water as needed. Turn off the heat and season with half the balsamic vinegar, the agave, and salt and pepper. Let cool.
Add the peaches and remaining ½ tsp of balsamic vinegar to the pan. Stir in the cooled sorghum and top with chopped toasted pecans. Wait a few minutes to let the flavors mingle, then taste for seasonings and serve drizzled with a bit more olive oil and balsamic vinegar.